Memorial to Alfred Charles Eustace Jarvis

Alfred Charles Eustace Jarvis (14 November 1876 – 26 March 1957) was an eminent

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest in the 20th century.

Early life, family and education

He was born in Bournemouth in 1876. His parentage is unclear. In 1915, in

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

, he told the Bishop of Fukien that he was the son of Dr. Birdwood, brother of Lt-General William Birdwood, GOC Australian and NZ Army Corps, and that Dr. Birdwood’s second wife has refused to accept him, so he had been adopted. He began work as an apprentice in a furniture store and served as a soldier in the Boer War. He studied at Handsworth Theological College

Career

Jarvis was a Methodist

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

from 1901 to 1908 when he was ordained into the Church of England. He was initially a

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at All Saints,

South Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area ...

. In 1909, he joined the Army Chaplain’s Department. His promotion in the Great War was rapid. In 1915, he was Principal Chaplain Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and from 1917 to 1919 Principal Chaplain Mesopotamia. In these four years, he won the Military Cross, was 3 times Mentioned in Despatches, was awarded the Serbian Order of the White Eagle and became a CMG He had served in Gallipoli, Salonika and Egypt as well as in the campaign leading to the capture of Baghdad. One of Jarvis’s strengths was his administrative ability. In Egypt and in Mesopotamia he had prepared Reports reorganising the Chaplain its as new camps and outposts appeared. After the war he was Assistant Chaplain-General, Northern Command from 1920 to 1925 and Chaplain-General to the Forces until 1931; and also

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of the Tower of London from 1927. He was Provost and Vicar of Sheffield from 1931 to 1948; and also

Archdeacon of Sheffield The Archdeacon of Sheffield and Rotherham is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Sheffield, responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the six area deaneries. History On 18 April 1884 the Archdeaconry of Sh ...

for two spells (1931 to 1933, and 1934 to 1938) and Rural Dean for one (1939–1942). He was an Honorary Chaplain to two Kings and a Chaplain of the

Order of St John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

Demise

Jarvis died on 26 March 1957. There is a memorial plaque in Sheffield Cathedral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarvis, Alfred Charles Eustace 1876 births Clergy from Bournemouth 20th-century English Anglican priests Recipients of the Military Cross Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Chaplains General to the Forces Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Honorary Chaplains to the King Archdeacons of Sheffield Provosts and Deans of Sheffield Holders of a Lambeth degree 1957 deaths World War I chaplains British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Bournemouth